MEDIA INVITATION:
TODAY Monday September 29 at 9.45am
Queensland Country Bank - 333 Ross River Rd, Aitkenvale (Townsville)
DV Safe launches Safe Phone campaign for Sexual Violence Awareness Month (OCTOBER)
TODAY national charity DV Safe Phone will officially launch their SAFE PHONE campaign for October, which is Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
The national launch will happen in Townsville.
DV Safe Phone is asking Australians to donate their used mobile phones to become lifelines for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
Attending on Monday at Queensland Country Bank in Aitkenvale will be:
- Nikki Firmin from DV Safe Phone
- Janelle Poole APM MP, Member for Mundingburra and Assistant Minister for Community Safety
- Samantha Schulte from The Survivor Service
- Aaron Newman, CEO of Queensland Country Bank
- Rebekah Haynes, Head of Retail Banking at Queensland Country Bank
The need has never been more urgent. In Queensland, children under 15 make up more than a third of reported sexual assault victims, and our youth are 58% more likely to face tech-facilitated abuse such as harassment, image-based exploitation, or stalking. In 2024, sexual assault reports rose by 11%, the highest level in 32 years, with Queensland recording nearly 10,000 sexual assaults and leading the nation in victims of crime. Yet these figures only scratch the surface. Sexual violence is grossly underreported – with just 13% of assaults ever reported to police. Many survivors remain silent not by choice, but because their phones are taken, broken, or monitored by perpetrators, leaving them without a safe way to call for help. A safe phone can be the difference between ongoing silence and a chance to seek protection, respite from harassment, support, and recovery.
Full detail etc will be provided at the launch.
Contact details:
Kath Rose
0416 291 493
